Station 4 Meet the Sheep Trail

Wool can be washed and carded (combed out so that all the fibres lie in the same direction) and spun.

Blacknose sheep’s wool is rather scratchy and not long-lasting when knitted of crocheted. It is, for example, not so good for making socks but it can be felted to make wonderfully warming cushions to sit on. The curls are really good for decoration and prettying-up objects or rooms.

Deborah, our shepherdess, demonstrates on a video how last summer she worked with the wool from Blackie, her favourite sheep.

“For me, wool is a real luxury that we have simply forgotten. Her only woollen jumper and her felt hat are her two most important comrades in the shepherd's daily life in the high mountains. They protect and warm her, they let her melt into the mountain and the sheep are light years closer to her than with statically-charged special-waste clothing. But that's not all... wool inspires Deborah, it speaks for itself”.

Felt is extremely interesting! It is tough, it warms, protects you from the wind and from dampness - even rain - and it regulates your body heat. Felt is a material that insulates, is easy to manufacture and to shape and it keeps its shape. It leads to inspiration; from decorations to useful objects and clothing and you can make a lot of things in a very short time. Get infected by the ‘felting virus’, Deborah shows you how to do it.